As a kid, I remember seeing Chibi Robo in a Nintendo Power magazine I'd bought, and I'd read the article over and over again because money was too tight to afford luxuries like a GameCube to play it on. I'd instead play with random toys and make up fun games with them as a weird kid that didn't have any friends.

Coming back to finally play this game after forgetting about it for so long, it was like looking back to my family and that kid version of me, with all its ups and downs.

A very important game.

The ocean used as allegory for birth and death, in a spiral of worlds and lives feels appropiate for a sort of "conclusion" to Towelket; ignore the fact there are still two main games before it all ends properly and an array of spinoffs. As Towelket went from its comedic, Star Wars rebellionesque roots to its serious, gruesome representation of feminist worldviews, it loops back around to its globe-trotting aesthetics here, but also knows that it carries the weight of the other games behind its back.

It's hard to explain why Towelket 4 is so effective; it refines what 6 failed to do with its large cast, with more effective and charismatic writing, while knowing how to use aspects established in Once More and 2. But more than anything does it feel like a game that resonates with the player; placing you in a state of alignment with the world, a mishmash of similar aesthetics and locations as it tries its hardest to connect everything while also being faithful to its slapdash style. More than anything does One More TIme 4's setting feels adequate: an ocean. Where everything feels connected, no matter the distance, through a body of water that all of earth shares. And as it rejects its basic structure by the end, its usual good against evil dynamic while also remaining faithful to it and its tragic endings; it feels as if, while not the best in the series, does One More Time 4 feels like it understands itself the most, and manages to transfer that basic enlightenment to the players.

The Towelket that I cannot decide whether it is worse or better than the 2nd game. I say this because just like the 2nd game it goes hard on that feminist horror with unrelenting themes that, undeniably, I wouldn't blame someone if they dropped this game for just how uncomfortable it made them and I admit this game really made me feel that way.

A positive I can absolutely hand out to this franchise STILL is unrelenting in presenting these themes that undeniably surround the idea of womanhood for this sequel. On a side note, I don't talk about towelket gameplay because it is basic rpg combat, but I have to point out how broken and buggy the game is. It is a rushed mess with a sudden shift on the emphasis of resistances and weakness with game-breaking glitches that can softlock you that were only fixed in the translation of this game. As much as I hate this gameplay shift in particular despite it being super easy, I quite enjoyed it and thought that it fit considering the final chapter of the game. While this felt like a downgrade, and in general was just a rushed title, Towelket's story still remains strong. Good on you, Towelket.

「 Chun 」said: "You’re wrong. This isn’t a sadness contest. Everyone has hard times and happy times. Everyone lives like that."

I loved this much more than Towelket 2. Not because I liked the ending more than the last game or how it's much brighter, but because of the message. Towelket has, at this point, somewhat obtained an identity for itself with the cutesy artstyle while having brutal, heartbreaking, and disturbing moments, but from all this there can be one common theme I see at this point from the trilogy of games: the cruelty of the universe. Time and time again, you've seen so much death, so much horrible stuff (especially from the 2nd game), but despite this, there is some hope to be found with a brighter tomorrow--a brighter future. Suffering and misfortune is destined to be apart of us in our lives, no matter how much we try to escape or avoid it. Even if you are repeated to experience those same mistakes once again (intended), you will find that you can make hope out of a situation out of it... maybe even give that hope to others to see that you are not alone. Even in the darkest of days you will find a way to salvage something positive out of the destruction you've seen. This story of death, destruction, despair, time-marching, love, passion, and understanding the machinations of the universe made me feel so much for this damn rpgmaker game. I can't even describe how to feel about it other than this is a fucking freeware rpgmaker game!? Not to undermine its quality by price, of course just... shocked how these small games can bring out such a strong story to you for free. Nothing made me feel more than Chun's chapter. Nothing made me think more than Chun's chapter. The philosophical dunk of this game was powerful. I love this game so much and it's the third game in the main series so I do not know how it will top this but it was a peak game. In conclusion, it hit the ball out of the park with what the first and 2nd game did with that striking balance of light hearted comedy and the darkness of the franchise, landing a hopeful and enlightening package in the end.